One particular incident that interests me from the novel is when Frankenstein's monster burns down De Lacey's cottage. Up until that point, the creature had been trusting of humanity and striving to join them. The creature discusses his time spent observing the family and the abundant amount of information that he learned through those observations. At first, the creature is fully dependent on the family as it exists as his sole insight into the world of human culture. Once ready, he presents himself to De Lacey; however, when the younger family members return, they drive him physically out of the cottage and mentally into a state of rejection.
This scene is extremely important and stands out to me because it sparks the monster's first attack on humanity. The creature burns the cottage and spurns all of the emotion that he learned to feel when observing the family. I chose this incident because it establishes the creature's main, yet elusive goal to search for acceptance throughout the remainder of the novel.
I agree. both his desire for acceptance and belonging and the way his inability to achieve that fundamental human goal turns to anger and destructiveness. Once they run away and abandon their home (and him) he wants only to erase it and that time in his life.
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